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Fuji X-E1 In Stock

The exciting new Fuji X-E1 is in-stock at Castle Cameras.

There is a point at which working in a camera shop numbs you to exciting new products. It’s a sad truth that almost all of us face at one point or another. Luckily, brands like Fujifilm turn up with something so special that it rekindles that small fire. With us it was the Fuji X-Pro 1. It took a little while but we got there.

When Fuji first announced it’s interchangeable system there was a bit of a fan fare amongst X100 and X10 users but again it slipped in amongst things like the Sony NEX 7 and Panasonic GX1, arguably the first ‘proper’ compact system cameras for photographers. A few of our customers were early adopters of this Fuji system, having read extensively on the subject, but there were still issues with RAW conversions and it was still first generation. Fuji did what, perhaps, needs to happen more in the world of photography; they listened to their users. Firmware was upgraded almost instantly to fix issues users had, boosting AF speed along the way and removing some bugs. We’ve since had another upgrade and the X-Pro 1’s have flown out the door.

Prior to Photokina 2012 Fujifilm announced the successor to the X-Pro 1 with the X-E1. Smaller, lighter and lacking the optical viewfinder of it’s older brother we once again shrugged under the weight of announcements. That is, before Luke was convinced to take the camera out for a day. Followed by myself. And now, we’re sold. The X-Pro 1 is fantastic. The X-E1 shares the same guts, the same power and more importantly, the same quality as the X-Pro. All for just £729? Where do I sign.

The X-E1 has shed some weight and somehow dropped into tantalising reach. The funny thing about these cameras is that they seem to break standard rules of digital photography. You shouldn’t get the quality you do for less than £2000, I personally rate the jpeg’s from the X series far higher than I do anything from anything else. I’ve constantly likened the images from the X series to Fuji slide film, because that’s exactly what it looks like. There is so little to fault that it’s turned me into a fan boy.

With the X-E1 set to offer the same exceptional image quality in such a compact bundle it would be understatement to say that I’m excited. The only thing to left to decide is if the shop needs a ‘demo’ model or not.